Train the Champion

Apply Now for the Train the Champion Class of 2019

CWRU staff and faculty are invited to participate in the Office for Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunity 2019 Train the Champion program. Now in its 8th year, the program is highly rated and has been described by former participants as informative, valuable and transformative.

The Train the Champion program is designed to help faculty, staff and administrators become leaders in creating a more welcoming and inclusive campus environment at CWRU. The program begins in January and concludes in November with a graduation ceremony. Program participants meet monthly during 90-minute lunchtime sessions to explore and discuss various aspects of diversity. Sessions often include guest speakers who discuss such topics as race, religion, gender, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and disability issues. Since its inception, over 200 campus members have participated in the program.

Eighteen individuals recently graduated from the program in November. The cohort represents staff and faculty from across our campus in positions ranging from department assistant to full professor.

The deadline for applying to the 2019 program is December 14. The program application is available online. All CWRU staff, faculty and administrators are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Details

In order to successfully complete the Train the Champion Program, participants are permitted to miss only two sessions. Unless otherwise noted, all sessions are held 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (excluding the January, June and November sessions).

There will be a special half day morning session off campus on the June date. The sessions will be held on the third Tuesday of each month (with the exception of graduation) beginning in January.

2019 meeting dates are as follows:

January 15, 2019 (all day) - MANDATORY ATTENDANCE

February 19, 2019

March 19, 2019

April 16, 2019

May 21, 2019

June 18, 2019 (3 hour session)

July 16, 2019

August 20, 2019

September 17, 2019

October 15, 2019

November 12, 2019 (2 hour session***Graduation***)

You Direct supervisor must be aware of the program and support your full participation.

About the Program

Diversity encompasses a variety of areas, from race and ethnicity to gender and age. The Office for Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunity (OIDEO), through its Train the Champion program, is working to spread knowledge across campus about the various dimensions of diversity.

The Train the Champion program:

Fosters an environment which is inclusive of various dimensions of diversity;

Assists with retention and recruitment of faculty and staff;

Encourages overall workplace satisfaction; and

Promotes dialogue on campus about diversity issues.

Introduced in 2011, the OIDEO Train the Champion program is designed to help faculty and staff learn how to be leaders in creating a more welcoming and inclusive environment on campus.

The 11-month long program begins in January and concludes in November with a graduation ceremony. Each year, about 25 individuals are selected to participate. Program participants meet monthly during 90-minute lunchtime sessions in which they explore various aspects of diversity. Session topics include race, LGBT issues, gender, disability issues and others.

ABOVE: The 2018 Train the Champion Class of 2018 at the November graduation ceremony.

Testimonials

"Train the Champion has been a wonderful experience that I am using to continuously challenge myself and others around me.”
— Class of 2015 Graduate Richard Pazol, Associate Director, University Counseling Service

"I have appreciated the opportunity to participate in Train the Champion and to have met so many others from the campus community who are advocates of diversity. The breadth of the workshops also added to its strength."
— Class of 2014 Graduate Sarah S. Andrews, Senior Instructor and Director of School Social Work, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.

"I participated in the program because I believe in its mission to embrace all dimensions of diversity. The promotion of diversity on campus is critical to the university's success."
— Class of 2011 Graduate Gladys Haddad, professor of American Studies

"The Office for Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunity sounds the trumpet, but the mission needs to be carried out in the trenches by faculty and staff. Train the Champion will provide tools and perspective that will help make change happen."
— Class of 2011 Graduate Dan Anker, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Human Resources, School of Medicine